St. Louis on the Air

The May 16 EF-3 tornado destroyed Centennial Christian Church in the Fountain Park neighborhood in north St. Louis. One person died and two others were trapped beneath the rubble before they were rescued. In this episode, STLPR afternoon newscaster Marissanne Lewis-Thompson talks about their story. She also details how the people trapped below weren’t able to successfully reach 911 during the disaster.

Cultures around alcohol consumption run a range as broad as beverages on a drink menu. For some, drinking culture means afternoons at a vineyard, and for others it’s a night on the town full of raucous fun. In some cases, drinking habits can lead to an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Thankfully, there are bar proprietors who focus on the “art of alcohol” — promoting responsible drinking that stems from the sharing of different histories and cultures linked to wines and spirits. Javia Gilliam-Sanford and Kaje Sanford are the married couple behind Passport Bar, Pour Decisions STL and a June 14 event called the “Art of Alcohol.” They share how they got involved in wine and spirits and what interests them most about the culture and history of alcohol in St. Louis and abroad.

The community response to St. Louis' May 16 tornado has involved hundreds of volunteers putting in thousands of hours over the last three weeks. But some volunteer efforts are now entering a different phase. On June 6, the People’s Response Hub closed its location in O’Fallon Park. We explore the current status of this ongoing, unofficial relief effort with Action St. Louis Executive Director Kayla Reed, and why the closing will result in a “gap” in aid services as volunteers work to reestablish in new locations. We also get to know three members of the STL Cleanup Crew who are also involved in tornado relief efforts.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and her daughter, poet and writer Ruby Aiyo Gerber, talk about co-writing the opera, “This House.” in this encore episode. Taking place in a majestic Harlem brownstone, the opera explores themes of gentrification and losing Black histories. It also delves into what connects – and binds – people to history and to one another. “This House” will have its world premiere at Opera Theatre of St. Louis this May.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s style, stage presence and sonic expression complement each other perfectly on their double-headlined Grand National Tour. The two have collaborated for much of their careers and their working relationship was evident at the sold-out appearance at the Dome at America’s Center. Host Elaine Cha and producer Miya Norfleet recount their experience at the GNX tour stop in St. Louis.

When Dorsa Derakhshani was banned from playing for Iran's national chess team because she didn't wear a hijab at an international tournament, she left the country to attend St. Louis University. Now a Mizzou medical student, St. Louis Chess Club instructor and U.S. citizen, Derakhshani is passionate about being an advocate for freedom of speech and expression — and for making room for women to be in traditionally men’s spaces. She reflects on what it meant to leave her home country for the U.S., the parallels between the competitive chess scene and medical school, and how the Trump administration’s new travel ban may affect people like her and her family.

More than 10,000 buildings were damaged from the May 16 tornado that tore through St. Louis. Soon after, affected city residents began seeing stickers affixed to their front doors — each signifying the amount of damage to the structure. Red stickers cautioned: “Danger: Entry Prohibited: Violators subject to prosecution.” City building division leadership shed light on how those assessments were made and what they mean. Later in the episode, a legal advisor with Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis discusses the challenges being faced by renters who are displaced from the tornado — and how renters can empower themselves by knowing their rights as they advocate for temporary housing or changes to their lease agreements.

Circus Flora is back for its 39th season with a brand-new production starting this week under the Big Top in Grand Center. The new show, “Urban Legend”, is a monster story that features a new collection of talented performers, from acrobats to jugglers and even dogs. Circus Flora artistic and executive director Jack Marsh and St. Louis-native juggler Book Kennison take us inside the production to share their insights on bringing the magic of a circus act to life.

A city’s poet laureate does more than write and recite original stanzas. Pacia Elaine Anderson, St. Louis’ new Poet Laureate, shares how she looks forward to adding her voice and arts-forward sensibilities to decision-making tables at City Hall and being an advocate for the arts.

The biggest restaurant news each month usually centers on openings and closings. But the May 16 tornado that tore through St. Louis shifted the focus. We look at how restaurants in the Delmar Maker District were affected, then turn to the latest openings and closures in the St. Louis dining scene. Our guests are STLPR digital editor Jessica Rogen and St. Louis Magazine food writer Cheryl Baehr.

Many St. Louisans impacted by the May 16 tornado have lost their official government issued documents to the storm, and they need those documents to claim aid. Sheree Hickman, director of the Missouri State ID Access Coalition; and Andre Cole, executive director of the nonprofit Urban City Services share how coalition member organizations are helping people get birth certificates and state identification documents in the aftermath of the tornado.

Missouri lawmakers have kicked off a special session focused in part on providing relief for those affected by the May 16 tornado. The region is also waiting to see whether President Trump will approve a major disaster declaration — a move that could unlock additional federal resources. In the meantime, the City of St. Louis is weighing its own response, but those efforts ran into a setback on Friday. STLPR’s Rachel Lippmann explains.

A Missouri Supreme Court ruling last week has, for now, reinstated the state's ban on abortion. It’s a familiar development for doctors and patients here in Missouri — and, for Planned Parenthood, part of a yearslong fight that has only grown more entrenched. The recently appointed chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, Dr. Margaret Baum, shares her reaction to the Missouri Supreme Court decision and the closing of Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. She also responds to claims by Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey that Planned Parenthood uses “moldy equipment” and “unqualified medical practitioners.”

U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-St. Louis County, discusses his call for President Donald Trump to sign off on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s request for a major disaster declaration, which would provide individual assistance to victims of the May 16 tornado.

Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City on Monday to take part in a high-stakes special session. Gov. Mike Kehoe wants legislators to pass state relief for tornado victims, some unfinished capital improvement projects, and an incentive package to keep the Chiefs and the Royals in Missouri. Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams, D-University City, discusses the upcoming session and how tensions from the regular session may shape what happens next.

Effects of the deadly tornado that hit St. Louis earlier this month are raising legal questions for people impacted by the disaster, from negotiating with insurance companies and landlords to obtaining federal aid. There are also legal implications in the city’s failure to sound its tornado siren as the storm gathered strength on May 16. Those topics, and more, are taken up in the May edition of “St. Louis on the Air”’s Legal Roundtable with expert attorneys.

In late April, Carol Mayorga -- a resident of Kennett, Missouri, a rural town in the state's Bootheel area -- went to St. Louis to renew her employment authorization documents at a routine check-in with immigration officials. She was detained, and shackled, and is now held at the Greene County jail in Springfield, Missouri. She faces deportation to Hong Kong. Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri and STLPR reporter Chad Davis discuss their story that details why Mayorga was arrested and how the community of Kennett is rallying for her return to the community.

In the aftermath of the May 16 tornado in St. Louis, social media feeds have been filled with photos of the devastation, lists of ways people can help, and pleas for folks to protect any bricks that may have fallen off their homes and businesses: “Don’t let them come and take your bricks.” And for good reason — a pallet of bricks sells for about $270. But the bricks aren’t just financially valuable: They symbolize a bond of people to place. In this episode, we talk about the ongoing work to help residents affected by the tornado and the effort to safeguard people’s bricks from those looking to capitalize on the tragedy.

On May 15, 2025, Tenelle Winmore had one of the best days of his life — he had just graduated with his Masters of Art in Teaching from St. Louis University. The next day, he watched a peach tree get pulled out of his backyard from an EF3 tornado. The storm tore through areas of St. Louis County, St. Louis and the Metro East — including the Fountain Park neighborhood in north St. Louis that Winmore calls home. He shares what it’s been like to repair his home, assist his neighbors, clean up debris and attempt to return to a sense of normalcy.

Researchers at Saint Louis University are seeking volunteers for 10-day stays at “Hotel Influenza,” the nickname for an unusual testing facility run by Saint Louis University. The facility is designed to give researchers a rare, controlled look at how viruses affect the human body. Participants will be getting paid close to $3,500 to be infected with a strain of influenza. Dr. Daniel Hoft, director of SLU’s Vaccine Center and principal investigator of an upcoming study, explains how the study will be conducted and the operation of SLU’s Extended Stay Research Unit.